Former President Donald Trump is set to stand trial on Monday in New York on state charges related to the hush money scandal involving porn actress Stormy Daniels. Trump is accused of arranging to pay Daniels to keep quiet about their alleged sexual encounter before the 2016 presidential election. The trial will be the first of Trump’s four criminal cases to go to trial and will be an unprecedented event in U.S. history – the first criminal trial of a former president. While the hush money case may be perceived as less severe compared to Trump’s other indictments, it is expected to be the most salacious, with testimony anticipated about marital infidelity and cover-ups orchestrated by Trump and his associates.
The hush money allegations first came to light in 2018 when Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen, was charged with campaign finance crimes related to a scheme to bury Daniels’ claims and other damaging stories from Trump’s past. Prosecutors later implicated Trump as directing Cohen’s efforts, although he was identified in court papers as “Individual-1” due to Justice Department policy against charging a sitting president with a crime. The case involving Trump’s alleged involvement in the hush money payments to Daniels and other women was initially uncertain, with prosecutors revisiting and abandoning it multiple times over the years before finally moving forward with charges.
Following Trump’s indictment, former Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. declined to pursue charges against the ex-president in connection with the hush money case. However, Vance’s successor, Alvin Bragg, took a different approach and convened a grand jury in January 2023. The grand jury voted to indict Trump in March 2023 on charges of falsifying company records to hide payments made to Cohen. Trump denies the allegations and has pleaded not guilty, labeling the prosecution as “election interference” and a “witch hunt.” The indictment outlines a scheme dating back to Trump’s 2016 campaign to suppress stories of extramarital affairs with women like Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal.
In addition to the hush money charges, Trump faces criminal cases in Florida, Washington, D.C., and Atlanta stemming from various allegations, including keeping classified documents, attempting to subvert the 2020 election, and racketeering. The New York trial has progressed rapidly compared to the other cases, with Trump’s attempts to delay the trial being rejected by state appeals courts. The case has drawn comparisons to the unsuccessful prosecution of former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards on campaign finance charges related to hush money payments to hide his extramarital affair. Legal experts believe that the outcome of Trump’s trial could have significant implications given his status as a former president.
